The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1 eBook

thee for thy act is without a parallel. There
is no Kshatriya who is equal to thee in courage, and
patience. And, O sinless one, thy strength and
prowess are almost equal to mine. O mighty-armed
one, I have been pleased with thee. Behold me,
O bull of the Bharata race! O large-eyed one!
I will grant thee eyes (to see me in my true form).
Thou wert a Rishi before. Thou wilt vanquish all
thy foes, even the dwellers of heaven; I will as I
have been pleased with thee, grant thee an irresistible
weapon. Soon shall thou be able to wield that
weapon of mine.”

Vaisampayana continued, “Phalguna then beheld
him—­Mahadeva—­that god of blazing
splendour-that wielder of the Pinaka-that one who had
his abode on the mountains (of Kailasa)—­accompanied
by Uma. Bending down on his knee and bowing with
his head, that conqueror of hostile cities-the son
of Pritha-worshipped Hara and inclined him to grace.
And Arjuna said, ’O Kapardin, O chief of all
gods, O destroyer of the eyes of Bhaga, O god of gods,
O Mahadeva, O thou of blue throat, O thou of matted
locks, I know thee as the Cause of all causes.
O thou of three eyes, O lord of all! Thou art
the refuge of all the gods! This universe hath
sprung from thee. Thou art incapable of being
vanquished by the three worlds of the celestials,
the Asuras, and men. Thou art Siva in the form
of Vishnu, and Vishnu in the form of Siva. Thou
destroyedest of old the great sacrifice of Daksha.
O Hari, O Rudra, I bow to thee. Thou hast an eye
on thy forehead. O Sarva, O thou that rainest
objects of desire, O bearer of the trident, O wielder
of the Pinaka, O Surya, O thou of pure body, O Creator
of all, I bow to thee. O lord of all created things,
I worship thee to obtain thy grace. Thou art
the lord of the Ganas, the source of universal blessing,
the Cause of the causes of the universe. Thou
art beyond the foremost of male beings, thou art the
highest, thou art the subtlest, O Hara! O illustrious
Sankara, it behoveth thee to pardon my fault.
It was even to obtain a sight of thyself that I came
to this great mountain, which is dear to thee and
which is the excellent abode of ascetics. Thou
art worshipped of all worlds. O lord, I worship
thee to obtain thy grace. Let not this rashness
of mine be regarded as a fault—­this combat
in which I was engaged with thee from ignorance.
O Sankara, I seek thy protection. Pardon me all
I have done.”

Vaisampayana continued, “Endued with great might,
the god whose sign was the bull, taking into his the
handsome hands of Arjuna, smilingly replied unto him,
saying, ’I have pardoned thee. And the illustrious
Hara, cheerfully clasping Arjuna with his arms, once
more consoling Arjuna said as follows.”